Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday called for a faster reaction to provide emergency assistance to disaster-stricken areas.

Indonesia has been frequently hit by catastrophes that have killed hundreds of thousands of people and damaged massive infrastructure facilities.

The president made the statement on the sideline of a simulation response to natural disasters at the air force base of Halim Perdanakussumah.

President Yudhoyono said that the first assistance should reach the scene faster than foreign aids.

"I do not want to hear that foreign contingents come first before ours when there is a natural disaster in Indonesia," he was quoted by Detik online as saying.

The president said it was a crucial time to rescue victims within hours after a disaster.

Indonesia has recovered from strong quakes in West Java and West Sumatra at late last year, which killed more than 10,000 people and caused massive infrastructure damage.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2010)